As the major networks prepare for upfront presentations in New York next week, the cancellation ax is swinging.

CBS has cut the cord on five first-year shows: “The Crazy Ones,” “Hostages,” “Intelligence,” “Friends with Better Lives” and “Bad Teacher.” “Crazy Ones,” starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar, had the much-coveted post-“Big Bang Theory” Thursday time slot, but was unable to capitalize on the lead-in.

“Hostages” was an experiment for the Eye with a shorter 15-episode order that allowed it to alternate in the Monday 10 p.m. slot with sci-fi actioner “Intelligence.”

A number of Fox’s freshman series were tabled including “Rake,” “Dads,” “Enlisted,” “Surviving Jack” and “Almost Human” (which was cancelled April 29). It was announced in February that Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” would not be returning, and that “Raising Hope” would come to an end after its fourth season.

“Dads,” the first live-action series from Seth MacFarlane’s shop, failed to catch fire and was not given a second season, even with ratings that were on par with renewed comedies “The Mindy Project,” “New Girl” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” “Enlisted” and “Surviving Jack,” despite earning critical support, failed to find a foothold with viewers.

“Almost Human,” a high-concept sci-fi series starring Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, drew 5.6 million viewers and a 1.5 in the adults 18-49 demo for its finale — which matched renewed thriller “The Following’s” finale rating in the demo and beat it in total viewers. But Fox’s competitive drama slate for the 2014-2015 season — which includes newly ordered “Gotham,” “Red Band Society” and “Empire” — ultimately left the Bad Robot production shut out.

“Rake,” based on an Australian format and starring Greg Kinnear, debuted to a 1.7 rating despite a powerhouse “American Idol” lead-in, and was quickly shunted to a Friday slot before its final two episodes were burned off on Saturday, April 5.

NBC’s cult favorite “Community” (pictured, above) was cancelled after five seasons, but it’s expected that producers Sony TV will shop the comedy elsewhere. Post-apocalyptic drama “Revolution” was also cancelled on Friday, having floundered without “The Voice” as a lead-in during its sophomore season. “Dracula,” starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, was sucked dry after a single season.

NBC’s midseason dramas “Believe” and “Crisis,” and singlecam comedy “Growing Up Fisher” also failed to make the cut. The two dramas were already believed to be in danger after NBC pulled them from their Sunday timeslots for the last weekend of May sweeps — replacing them with a “Women of SNL” special — while “Fisher” has averaged a 1.7 among adults 18-49.

Previously, NBC announced the cancellations of “Ironside,” “Welcome to the Family,” “The Michael J. Fox Show” and “Sean Saves the World,” all of which were pulled from the schedule with unaired episodes remaining. The lackluster performance of “The Michael J. Fox Show” was particularly disappointing, as NBC banked on Fox’s star power early, giving the show a straight-to-series order of 22 episodes.

Freshman series “Trophy Wife,” starring Malin Akerman, was cancelled by ABC, along with Rebel Wilson’s “Super Fun Night,” and “Mixology.” Though “Trophy Wife” had critical acclaim, the comedy failed to show any discernible growth on other platforms, and an expensive ensemble cast likely contributed to its demise.

Although, “Once Upon A Time” was renewed, spinoff “Once Upon A Time in Wonderland” was canceled back in March.

ABC’s “Suburgatory” was canceled after three seasons. It was two seasons and out for alien comedy “The Neighbors,” which has been drawing a 0.9 demo rating in its spot between “Last Man Standing” and “Shark Tank.”

Despite airing between solid performers “The Middle” and “Modern Family,” “Suburgatory” never matched the success of its timeslot companions, and creator Emily Kapnek was already set to depart the comedy in order to oversee the newly picked up “Selfie” for the network.

Over at The CW, young Carrie Bradshaw will not return to the screen as “The Carrie Diaries” was axed. Rookie series “The Tomorrow People” and “Star-Crossed” will also not return, as their final installments averaged a paltry 0.3 and 0.4 respectively in adults under 50.

I don’t waste time on TV that’s not worth watching. I want to see formats like the Carol Burnett Show, VARIETY SHOWS, bring back The CBS 8 O’clock movies…. Even the retro shows are a far better quality then the trash that’s on now…’reality’ shows and vampire crap. Even the talent shows have outrun their value.

I agree with you 100%!!! Television in America is a VAST wasteland….. GARBAGE!!!! Back in the 70’s I had a teacher who called TV the “idiot” box…. Nowadays it really is…. What a complete waste of time when viewing the junk that is being aired…. I like all the “old shows” too, movies, sitcoms, variety shows when they actually had good writers, and someone with any intelligence could watch and not be insulted. Not the case any longer…..

I agree. Plus, the chemistry between the primary actors was palpable. It should have gotten a second season. But then again, they also had cancelled ‘Firefly’ after it’s first ‘on-again, off-again’ series of pre-emptions season.

I hope they let the rights to Revolution go and someone else grabs it. Syfy? No wait! They cancelled their higest rated series Sanctuary while it was number one. TNT? Falling Skies is a big hit for them. I thought Dad’s was hilarious.

Hostages was a very intriguing show that we NEVER missed. We were looking forward to another season. It is too bad that the network didn’t give it enough time to catch on. Everyone we know was hooked on the show from the first episode and watched it On Demand if not in its time slot. What is with the impatience?

Actually America would be stupid if these shows survived. The fact that the network cannot find an audience for this crap gives me hope. Feel free to leave and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

Judge much? Did you watch any of them or are you one of the Survivor and The Amazing Race watchers? America is stupid alright but, it’s not because of a few shows on television. When you look in the mirror next, there will be a person looking back that helped make the country stupid.

I am bemused by the amount of people who seem to believe “TV” works for them, or that they are the “clients” of the networks. Here’s a hint: if you’re not paying for it, you’re not the client. The advertisers are the clients of the network. You, viewers, are the product. If the product isn’t supplied to the client, then the client goes to shop somewhere else. That was fine back when there was a straight line between the client, the manufacturer and the product, but nowadays the lines are muddled. Unless you’re an inexplicable ratings juggernaut like Big Bang Theory, the current TV model is on its last leg.

Face it: this time next year NONE of this will matter to ANYONE. No one will stop watching TV because their favorite show got cancelled.

However some people might notice other shows they like , and start to watch them instead.

It’s the way TV works.

Sure, some smart people are opting out of TV altogether — but they’re not here whining and b!tching about the loss of their favorites.

p.s. I’m sad to lose “Intelligence”. I liked it. I’m done watching “police procedurals”. Justified, The Wire, Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy — those are the shows I like. Are they universal standards of good TV or my good taste?

I must admit I watched 1 segment (12 minutes?) of “Keeping Up with the Ks” once to see what all the fuss was about. I can never get those 12 minutes back. It was just so stupid.

I have not seen any of these cancelled shows, but how bad can they be to not find an audience while the Kardashians can. Or how stupid has America become that these shows get cancelled while the Kardashians steamroll on?

I know that feeling. They keep some REALLY stupid shows like “Mike and Molly” but cut well written and acted dramas like “Revolution”. Maybe NBC won’t be the bunch of jerks with it like CBS was with “Jericho” and will release the rights to another network. It would be a great pick up for the SCI FI channel or one of the other networks that doesn’t mind spending money for a quality show. I can’t even get NBC where I live, so I’ve been watching it online every week. I am so sick of turning on the TV and seeing that idiotic American Idol on there multiple nights in a row. Here’s a tip to programmers, if you want an intelligent show to have an audience, DON’T put it after DWTS or American Idol. Intelligent viewers aren’t watching either of those two shows because they lower the average IQ of the viewers by about 30 points. I have an extensive DVD collection so when the choice is American Idol or a movie I’ve seen a dozen times, in goes the disc.

Viewers are sick and tired of being at the mercy of programers. Telling us what to watch and when to watch. Is it any wonder why the Internet, Netflix, You Tube and a host of other outlets are booming? WE WANT TO WATCH WHAT WE WANT, ANY DAMN TIME WE WANT TO WATCH IT.

How could you cancel “Revolution”?
It’s the best show and only good show on Wednesday Night!!! And Thursday night!
I hurry home to see Revolution!
I love the Blacklist too and that’s Monday night! So; take it all away and nobody will be watching Tv; and then the brilliant folks who took it away will be out of a job!
Why watch Tv! Nothing to see and Survivor and some of that other goofy stuff isn’t worth my money or time!
I think you’ll be sorry for destroying good
Programming!

First, he’s no longer “Michael J Fox.” He’s “Michael J Fox Battling Parkinson’s Disease.” That’s a big difference, despite how people might feel about him personally.
Second, the writing was BAD. That’s why we didn’t laugh. That’s why we didn’t care. The pilot episode was embarrassing. The attempt at “stunt-casting” was even more so. “Doc” from “Back to the Future” is going to guest star?
Really? Why not have Fonzi come back and jump TWO pools of sharks?
Sometimes giving up on yourself is the right thing to do. Hopefully those responsible for that show will consider something outside the field of entertainment.

Agreed. Almost Human best show I’ve seen on network Yv in2-3 years. Great cast, intriguing themes, actors just starting to mesh. Oh well, the network missed an opportunity because the show was just getting rolling.

Why can’t the television viewer select only the channels they want instead of being forced to purchase so much more garbage channels that they will never watch? Allowing the consumer the right to choose what they want and to pay for only those channels they want would save the American consumer billions of dollars they are now forced to pay to cable operators. It is time for congress to do something to help the people and something as simple as that would save hundreds of dollars a year for every American home.

The TV industry is mirroring the new norm craziness that has Americans under its spell.
TV industry doesn’t allow new shows the time necessary to build up viewership. If the
shows doesn’t make an impression within 10 seconds, it’s cancelled. People are getting
sick of this and no longer willing to become emotionally invested in a good program that’s
cancelled abruptly. The TV industry is eating its own. People will stop watching TV
altogether! Good luck with that.

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking as I was reading this article. Several of these shows are really good! But you are right, PopUpCommontater. Who wants to become emotionally invested in something that’s not going to be there next season. I don’t know who these people are who make the decisions, but they’re idiots! The good thing that comes from this, for me anyway, is more time to do things away from the TV, cause I don’t care about what’s on!!

Can’t believe NBC canceled “Growing Up Fisher!” Midseason replacement and now it’s gone. Won’t even put the last two episodes in its original time slot. You can’t build up viewership by doing that. NBC would rather have those idiotic reality shows.

Growing up Fischer was actually a decent show and almost Human Was a good sci-fi show sorry to see them go. Revolution had a chance but they lost there way after the first season and didn’t know where to take it.

I am sorry to bee “Believe” go. I liked the show, but I have to admit that I was getting a little tired of the villain chasing the little girl theme. I really enjoyed the scenes when she was helping people who faced dire challenges. I think it would have been far more successful if they made that more of the main theme of the show instead of the constant chasing.

They did that before. It was called “Highway To Heaven”. I agree, though, it was fun watching her help people. And her interactions with Tate were at times hilarious. But shows like that get cancelled while shows like “America’s Funniest Home Videos Showing People Getting Hit In The Crotch” live on. I don’t get it.

Yeah, the conservative Christian idea of “wholesome” tv fare is a reality show about heavily bearded guys in the boonies who get thrills up their legs going out and killing defenseless animals, when they’re not pontificating about how horrible it is that modern people no longer pay attention to an ancient book of middle-eastern fairy tales that advocates slavery, female submission, and the stoning of gays. Actually, I think I’ll take the worst slop NBC could offer over your “wholesome” programming any day.